TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Kate Prince on Oct 6, 2022

The Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday heard arguments in a voting rights case in which plaintiffs allege the state illegally blocked a man from voting over a felony conviction in Virginia, even though his voting rights had been restored there. Ernest Falls was granted clemency for a felony conviction in Virginia and had his voting rights restored before moving to Tennessee. When he tried to register to vote in Grainger County in 2020, state officials said Falls failed to prove he had paid all court costs and restitution required by the state of his conviction. Falls never owed court costs or restitution in his Virginia case and the clemency grant fully restored his right to vote in Virginia. A Davidson County judge previously sided with the state in the case, finding "Tennessee law does not require that Tennessee reach the same result" as other states' decisions on voter restoration. The Tennessean has the full story.